Fair Trade Tourism (FTT) announces the appointment of Dr Salifou Siddo to its Board of Directors. Until recently the Chief Executive of the Tourism Enterprise Partnership (TEP), Dr Siddo brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in tourism development, particularly within the SMME sector.
Currently serving as Chief Executive at SME TradeLinks (Pty) Ltd, a company which links SMEs to business opportunities in Africa, Dr Siddo says he is looking forward to helping FTT to achieve its strategic objectives. He joins fellow directors, Desmond Mahony, Lee-Anne Bac, Jane Edge and Judy Kepher-Gona on the FTT Board.
Dr Siddo completed his MA in English Language and Literature at the University of Niamey in Niger, the country of his birth. He was selected for a Fulbright Scholarship to study communications at Pennsylvania State University in the United States where he obtained his second MA in speech communication and then studied towards a PhD specialising in Organizational Communication. His career in tourism started in 1998 when he left a Senior Lecturer post at the University of South Africa (UNISA) to head the Department of Communications at South African National Parks (SANParks). He played an instrumental role in the brand repositioning of then National Parks Board (NPB) to SANParks as the organisation is known today.
Dr Siddo was appointed as CEO of the Tourism Grading Council of SA (TGCSA) in 2001 where he was tasked to lead the development and roll-out of the National Star Rating System, the quality assurance system for the accommodation industry which is still in operation today. In 2007, he caught the entrepreneurship bug and joined Zatic Group as Business Development Director. Zatic Group is a tourism investment company which, amongst other investments, owns the Soweto Hotel on Freedom Square in Kliptown, Soweto.
“It is an honour for me to join the Fair Trade Tourism Board of Directors. This is an organisation which has been at the forefront working to make responsible tourism an important aspect of South Africa’s tourism sector. FTT has also expanded its work to other African tourism destinations and this is appealing to me as I believe that tourism, if conducted in a responsible manner, can contribute positively to inclusive development of our continent” says Dr Siddo.
FTT acting Managing Director Jane Edge said Dr Siddo’s wealth of experience and strategic insight would be important in helping to guide FTT as it seeks to expand its responsible tourism impact on the African continent.
